A Chance
by My Solitude
Summary: A 24-year-old man wakes up to find that he is in a forest, when last he was on a mountain. What may have confused him was that the forest he was in was familiar. Maybe too familiar.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Naruto, 24 autumns old, wakes up to find that he is in a forest. The last thing he remembered was fading out on the Hokage Mountain. What confused him was that the forest he was in was familiar. Maybe _too_ familiar.

**Disclaimer: **_**I,**_** the author of this story, do not own Naruto. Fortunately.**

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_//: The village is finally at rest. War has come to an end. But will it last long...this peace? ://_

Naruto's powerful gaze fell down upon his village, full of life and laughter but also the horrors of death and war. On top of the Hokage Mountain, the noise below could not reach him. His relaxed gaze wandered off towards a random direction as his thoughts traveled far and wide. Naruto caught site of the village gate with his wandering eyes and paused for a moment.

He reminisced of the first time he left the village towards the unknown. The exhilaration he felt at seeing the world outside his village. It left him breathless. He felt different, as if the world changed in that one moment where he took his first step past the gate. The feeling of being free shook him to his core. The fact that he knew why he felt that way did not help matters. He felt that he had betrayed his village just for feeling such a thing, and so, to make up for it, he let his excitement take over his body, letting himself be capable to wander his mind.

Naruto reminisced of the first time of having been in danger. The fear it brought that he would die, that he would leave the world and disappear, never to be mentioned, and to be forgotten. Along with the fear of death, was the feeling of being helpless. He watched as someone precious to him protected him, at the cost of that person's own dreams.

He remembered the agony he felt as he thought that one of his precious people had died. That it was _his_ fault that he died. And so, he let his anger take over him, feeling a frightening power that he used to defeat his enemy. The betrayal he felt as his enemy turned out to be someone who he knew could have been someone dear to him one day. As he continued reminiscing, he felt his presence wavering, making him become alert, as such a thing was abnormal.

But he couldn't escape his memories as they overflowed his mind. Try as he might, his memories continued flowing, not letting him escape. Making him remember his first mission out of the village clearly, as if it just recently happened. As if everything that he had experienced afterwards, was never there to begin with. His vision then became hazy as his presence distorted. A moment later, he faded away, like a leaf that fell from its branch, never to come back.

*********

Snapping his eyes open quickly, he observed his surroundings, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as the place he was in seemed familiar, but not. From what he could tell, he was in a forest a couple miles outside of a village. How he knew there was a village nearby, he did not know. What he did not understand was that he felt that he knew the forest he was in. As if he were there many times before. He knew then that something was wrong. Something happened that was not supposed to.

**Naruto's Point of View**

When I realized that I was probably no where close to my home, I felt my body become light as a feather, as if a great burden has been removed from me. I'm sure that that was supposed to happen. Heh. It's probably because I now have an excuse to not do paperwork...

A Kage's greatest foe.

The overflowing pages can make any sane man go crazy. Most, if not all the pages, were so insignificant, it almost angered him that people dared to make such things and send it to him. It did not matter to him if some lady ordered formula milk and wanted the Hokage's permission to get it right away! What has the title of Kage come down to? It has fallen far, that I know for sure. The council has become corrupted over the years, and with their Kage flooded with paperwork, they do whatever they can to get what they want. Especially since they were unmonitored. ~Sigh~

Sometimes, I forget why I became the Hokage. It seems to be more of a figurehead than anything now.

Well, I should stop thinking of that and start finding solutions to my current problem. I should most likely begin with scouting my surroundings. I might find something of interest. Hmm. I might even be in hostile territory. It wouldn't matter. As long as I'm not recognized, everything will go fine. I'll just go with the flow, as some say. Hmm... _'Shadow Clone Technique!'_

*********

The village Hidden in the Leaves is nearby. What should I do? It seems almost as if the Hidden Leaf is the stem of my problem. Since I am mostly never wrong about these things, I'm sure some of the answers I want are there. ~Sigh~ The Hidden Leaf seems to like causing me trouble. It is most... bothersome.

**End of Naruto's Point of View**

As Naruto walks casually towards the Hidden Leaf village, he wondered if he should change his appearance. Barely thinking of it, he decided he should stay the way he was as it was too troublesome to change many things such as his hair and eyes and whatever else there was for a disguise.

By the time he could see the front of the gates, he already had his papers forged. They were to some extent true, but was mostly false. Of course, he would only use them if he had to. Taking off his headband, the man stared intently at it before putting it away. No one needed to know who he was if they didn't already. His chakra was always subconsciously concealed since he did it so much so he did not bother with that. Taking out a plain black headband, he tied it around his forehead to replace the one he put away.

Breathing in deeply before exhaling, Naruto walked up to the desk with two chuunin he recognized as Izumo and Kotetsu there. When he looked into their eyes, he saw that they didn't recognize him and were surprised at how he looked. He sighed as he took out his forged papers. It showed a picture of him on the top left side of the page and then said:

_Name: Notura Ekanmiza-Muzuika_

_Gender: Male_

_Age: 24_

_Birth Date: October 10_

_Blood Type: B_

_Height: 6'3_

_Astrological Sign: Libra_

_Element: Air_

_Compatibility: Aquarius and Gemini_

_Birth Stone: Opal_

_Quality: Cardinal_

_**-------------------**_

_Current Information_

_**-------------------**_

_Family Background: Parents were deceased since young. Traveled with a group who studied the different uses on plants ever since._

_Birth Place: Fire Country_

_History, Background: Traveled the continent._

_Home: None_

_Pets: None_

_**-------------------**_

_Physical Description_

_**-------------------**_

_Hair Style: Spiky golden blond reaching towards shoulders_

_Eyes: Azure_

_Body: ??_

_Physical Condition: Healthy_

_Marks, Scar, Tattoo: Three faint thin lines on each cheek_

_Clothing: A plain black headband tied around forehead; a black cloak with orange flames at the bottom with short sleeves; a black turtleneck long sleeved shirt; black ninja pants with orange bandages wrapped around the calves; black ninja sandals_

_**-------------------**_

_Personality_

_**-------------------**_

_Likes: Eating ramen_

_Dislikes: Three minutes it takes to heat ramen_

_Fears: Fear_

_Goals: To study all of plant life._

_Hobbies: Playing pranks on people, watering plants_

_Occupation: Herbalist_

_Favorite Food: Ramen, Oshiruko (red bean soup)_

_Least Favorite Food: Raw vegetables_

_Psychological Condition: Good_

_Character Behavior: Good_

_Aptitude: Botany; Childcare; Construction; Carpentry; Heavy work_

_Relationships (with who and what kind): Naruto Uzumaki: a distant relative; no other relatives alive_

As he sighed again, the two chuunin rechecked his papers before clearing him, allowing him into the village. Though, before he headed in, he asked them, "May I know what date it is?" The man, Izumo, nodded and then answered, "It's the 12th of May." The now known 'Notura' nodded and thanked the chuunin.

'_This is not __my__ Konoha... My village, my pride, my life. This is not my __**everything**__.'_

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**Author's Note: Hey, hey! Sorry, sorry! I changed it again! I know you who are readers of this **_**must**_** be exasperated, but, really, I thought you'd like this more. I mean, whoever who read the actual first chapter that I evidently changed, might have thought it better than the current one. I mean, yeah, I thought so too after I reread it. It was really hilarious. I'd really like to put it back, but you know, I want this story to have some kind of plot. Not just some random stuff that comes to mind. Really! I mean it!**

**[Dark storm clouds are over my head, haunting me. This is, after all, only a random story come to mind. ~Sniff~ I'm so sad...]**

**Well, tell me what you think. It doesn't matter to me, but I'd like to know how this is faring, you know? I don't want to delete this because then it'll wipe away the evidence that I wrote this first! And when someone decides to take this story as their own, I'll have no proof that it was originally mine! Oh god! What should I do? WHAT SHOULD I DO?!?!?!**

**Ok. I'm done panicking. If you've even read this far, congratulations! You've won a prize! ( - _ -)**

**...**

**If you actually think you did, you're thicker than I thought.**


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: Naruto, 24 autumns old, wakes up to find that he is in a forest. The last thing he remembered was fading out on the Hokage Mountain. What confused him was that the forest he was in was familiar. Maybe _too_ familiar.

**Disclaimer: I am glad to say that I do NOT own Naruto. (God! I'll get killed by the fans!)**

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**Naruto's Point of View**

Haku... If we were to meet in a different time, a different place, we might have become good friends. If only, if only that were to happen, then I would have another precious person. So now, now...I'll never forget you and what you gave me!

I stared at Haku and Zabuza's graves with determination.

"If that's the way ninja is, then I'll make my own ninja way!"

Feeling more then seeing the look of pity in my team's eyes, I clenched my fists tight, anger seeping into me. I knew they thought of me as an idiot, and maybe I am! But, it doesn't matter. I'm going to make them see that Naruto Uzumaki is no tool to be used and thrown away!

I'm going to become the Hokage and change the way things are!

I'm going to become the greatest Hokage!

My shoulders slumped as I calmed myself down.

I'll show them. I'll show them all!

**End of Naruto's Point of View**

*********

The air was filled with chattering coming from two persons. One was a girl with pink hair, asking a boy with midnight black hair out, while the other was a boy with blonde hair, asking the pink haired girl out. A man with silver, but more grayish, hair was walking beside the three, reading an orange book. All in all, the small group was an odd bunch to look at. Not that they were the only odd bunch in the world. Oh no! There are plenty more of even odder bunches than these four! Ah... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

What I meant to say, ahem, was that:

The air was filled with tension as no one spoke up during the trip back towards their home village. Each person was filled with their own thoughts as revelations came towards them, changing their views, and yet, not.

'_Looking at their backs now, I wonder if I'll only drag them down. They've gotten so strong already, and I'm so weak, it's pathetic.'_

'_How can that dead-last be stronger than me? No! I must become stronger! I have to kill __**Him!'**_

'_I must tell Lord Hokage right away. The seal seems to be weakening.'_

'_Haku...'_

Random bushes started rustling around the group; trees swayed violently as if a strong wind were blowing by; thunder boomed in the distance even though the sky was clear of clouds; and darkness descended over the traveling four even with the sun being high in the sky.

Although no one knew it, a change was occurring. Whether it was good or bad was unknown.

The only girl in the group, Sakura, screamed as she saw something that horrified her before she fainted dead away. The dark haired boy, Sasuke, cried in anguish as he ran towards whatever it was he saw. As the youngest of the three, Naruto was confused and scared. His stance was that of a person ready to fight his way out. An apparition-like being walked out of the darkness of the forest behind him, his hair and eyes shining brightly through the nonexistent light. Gasping in surprise, Naruto took a hesitant step towards the figure, involuntarily whispering out the one word that would haunt his team leader for a while yet.

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**Author's Note: Heh. I was going to end it earlier, but... ah! Whatever. Anyways, whoever who bothers to read this story, I just wanna tell you that it's probably gonna always be short like this. BUT! STOP RIGHT THERE! STOP THAT THOUGHT PROCESS THIS INSTANT! I'm telling you, I'll try my best to make these chapters long! Just to warn you, I won't update much. But I left such a cliffhanger! HA! Ah... I must apologize. This chapter's so short because I couldn't find a way to make it longer. So sad.. I'm depressed.**


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